Wikipedia:Merging

"WP:DA" and "WP:Duplicate article" redirect here. For articles with duplicated content, see WP:Content forking. For the list of articles that have not been edited in the longest time, see Wikipedia:DUSTY.

Merging means performing a non-automated procedure by which the contents of two or more pages are united within a single page.

For uncontroversial mergers, no permission is needed to merge; just do it. If your merger is reverted, it's controversial and you need to discuss it.

To start a merger discussion, follow the instructions below.

A merger is a non-automated procedure by which the contents of two or more pages are united within a single page. Merging creates a redirect from the source page(s) to the destination page, with some or all of the content copied and pasted into that page. Editors should use their discretion to decide whether or not a discussion should occur before spending the time to merge articles.

Reasons for merger

Duplicate: There are two or more pages on exactly the same subject, with the same scope.

Overlap: There are two or more pages on related subjects that have a large overlap. Wikipedia is not a dictionary; there does not need to be a separate entry for every concept. For example, "flammable" and "non-flammable" can both be explained in an article on flammability.

Short text: If a page is very short and is unlikely to be expanded within a reasonable amount of time, it often makes sense to merge it with a page on a broader topic. For example, parents or children of a celebrity who are otherwise unremarkable are generally covered in a section of the article on the celebrity (and can be merged there).

Context: If a short article requires the background material or context from a broader article in order for readers to understand it. For example, minor characters from works of fiction are generally covered in a "List of characters in <work>" article (and can be merged there); see also Wikipedia:Notability (fiction).

Merging should be avoided if:

The resulting article would be too long or "clunky"

The separate topics could be expanded into longer standalone (but cross-linked) articles

The topics are discrete subjects warranting their own articles, even though they might be short